A small village's police department is accused of running an unconstitutional vehicle seizure scheme that exploits motorists for profit. Plaintiff Phillip
the Village of Freeport, Police Chief Michael Smith, JCB & Sons, Inc. (operating as Non-Stop Towing & Recovery), Jerome Bonomo, and an unnamed police officer referred to as Officer John Doe #1.
According to the complaint, under the direction of Police Chief Michael Smith, the Freeport Police Department has been conducting warrantless seizures of vehicles under false pretenses such as expired or suspended registrations. The plaintiff alleges that this operation is part of a kickback scheme through which Freeport unlawfully extorts over $750,000 annually from unsuspecting motorists. The village reportedly uses license plate readers to scan every vehicle entering or exiting Freeport and alerts patrol officers to seize those with registration issues. Once seized, vehicles are towed by Non-Stop Towing & Recovery, and owners are forced to pay exorbitant fees ranging from $1,200 to over $5,000 to retrieve their cars.
The lawsuit details how Greenblatt’s wife was pulled over by a Freeport officer who seized their car due to an alleged suspended registration. Despite paying all dues at the village office, Greenblatt was unable to recover his vehicle until he paid additional fees demanded by Non-Stop Towing. The complaint asserts that neither Greenblatt nor other victims were given any hearing or notice before or after these warrantless seizures. It accuses the defendants of violating constitutional rights under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments by depriving individuals of property without due process and conducting unreasonable seizures.
Greenblatt seeks declaratory judgment along with compensatory and punitive damages for these violations. He demands that all monetary charges asserted against him be nullified and calls for a permanent injunction against these practices. Furthermore, he challenges the constitutionality of New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law §1224 as applied in this context.
The plaintiff is represented by attorney Andrew J. Campanelli of Campanelli & Associates, P.C. The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York under Case ID 2:25-cv-01460.